


Faster Than You Can Say Sabotage

by hellareyna



Series: Butterbeer and Chips [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Feels, Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Christmas, Crying, F/F, Hogsmeade, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Jealousy, Rejection, straight girl crushes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29608455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellareyna/pseuds/hellareyna
Summary: After not seeing Lavender for weeks (because her new relationship) Parvati had been hoping for a nice day in Hogsmeade with her best friend. What she got was anything but.
Relationships: Lavender Brown/Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown/Ron Weasley
Series: Butterbeer and Chips [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2175321
Kudos: 6





	Faster Than You Can Say Sabotage

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Femslash February! You can read this without having read Padma's POV in the series but why not read both? Title from Taylor Swift's Better Than Revenge

“I can’t believe you fucking, ambushed me like this Lavender,” Parvati spat once she had closed the restroom door behind them, “I canceled on Padma for this.”

“Well I didn’t ask you to cancel on her,” Lavender said, “I asked you if you were free and you said yes.”

“I said yes to a day with my best mate not a stupid double date with your stupid boyfriend.” Parvati shot back.

Lavender looked hurt, but frankly, Parvati didn’t care. It had been two months now since Lavender had started dating Ron Weasley, and in those two months, she hadn’t had one Hogsmeade weekend with her friend. Parvati had tried to go along with Padma in the beginning, but even then they would see the couple holding hands and laughing in the street and it made her heartache.

Then she had thought Lavender had finally come to their senses. That morning Lavender had said the two of them should spend the day together in Hogsmeade. She hadn’t mentioned that two other people would also be present.

“You’re always so jealous, I was just trying to help you.”

Why couldn’t Lavender see what was right in front of her? How had she not realized it wasn’t _her_ who she was jealous of? How was it not obvious that seeing Lavender with any boy hurt more than a Cruciatus curse?

“I’m not jealous of you,” She cried out, “Bloody hell, do you seriously think I have feelings for _Ron_?” 

She could now feel tears forming and she knew if she kept talking she would start crying. Maybe then she could make Lavender understand, she thought, bitterly. 

“I don’t know. How am I supposed to know anything when you won’t just fucking talk to me?” Lavender sounded frustrated and Parvati hated that that made her feel slightly better.

“How could I talk to you when you’re always somewhere snogging him!”

“He’s my boyfriend, that’s what girls are supposed to do when they have boyfriends.”

“Really, they’re supposed to abandon their friends for him? That’s insane!”

“You’re just jealous because you’ve never had a boyfriend,” Lavender jabbed.

Parvati felt the first tear roll down her cheek. She was crying over her crush in the women’s restroom at Madam Puddifoot’s. What a fucking cliche. Although most girls who cried there didn’t get the pleasure of their crush watching them cry.

“Is that what you seriously think?” Parvati nearly shouted through her tears, “That you could just set me up with Neville Longbottom, and then I would just magically be okay with never seeing you anymore. Was that your plan?”

“I just wanted you to be happy. Ron makes me so happy and since you’re my friend I wanted you to be happy too. I thought you wouldn’t be so mad if you just got a date.” 

What hurt most about that was how genuine she sounded. She didn’t even know that those words were like thorns, pricking her heart until it bled. The very idea that she was mad because she wanted a boyfriend too was laughable. But Lavender didn’t know that.

Of course, how could she know? It wasn’t as if Parvati had made any indication of her true feelings towards the other girl. Her feelings had all stayed bottled up inside her chest. That was only because she knew that rejection wouldn’t be a thorn but instead a stake right through her heart. 

Ever since Lavender had kissed Ron after the Quidditch match against Slytherin there had been an ever-present aching that she’d learned to ignore. It was worse when she actually saw them together so she changed her habits. 

She had been able to avoid the two of them snogging in the common room and the hallways by hiding away in her room or the library. Of course, both places meant possibly seeing Hermione Granger who was stewing for similar reasons. 

Now she wasn’t able to hide. She had tried to hide her anger at Ron and Lavender when they’d been at the table, she didn’t need any of her classmates seeing her explode, but now that she was in this nauseatingly pink bathroom with Lavender the tears would not stop. 

“Lavender, you’re not listening to me. I wish you could just understand,” She felt so desperate for any shred of understanding.

“I wish I could understand too, but I can’t if you don’t tell me. I can’t understand if you don’t just tell me.” 

Parvati noticed tears were now forming in Lavender’s eyes as well. Merlin, the two of them looked ridiculous. Sobbing to one another in a bathroom.

“I don’t know how to,” Parvati admitted. 

How was one supposed to admit to their friend, who was a girl, with a boyfriend, that they were in love with her? How could she tell her without risking everything that they had now, everything that they had had for more than five years? She had never been as close to someone as she was with Lavender she couldn’t possibly throw that away. But she also couldn’t just stand here as Lavender repeatedly butchered her heart. It was impossible.

“Show me,” Lavender pleaded through her shiny tear-filled eyes.

Maybe it was that Parvati truly believed her and she finally let herself be controlled by her Gryffindor bravery instead of her fear, or maybe she was just an idiot. Either way, Parvati grasped Lavender’s face with both hands and surged forward to kiss the other girl. 

It felt like bliss. For a few lovely moments, she almost thought Lavender was kissing her back. This was how it was supposed to feel. Then she felt her shoulders get pushed and she fell back against one of the stalls. 

Lavender was touching her lips where Parvati’s had just been. She didn’t look angry, just confused.

“Parvati, why did you do that?” Lavender asked as if it wasn’t obvious.

The tears were falling faster now and Parvati could barely see through them. She could barely get herself to speak. Opening her mouth would just let out a sob. 

“Lavender I-”

Parvati was cut off before she could finish her sentence. Someone else had entered the restroom. 

“What the fuck?” Pansy Parkinson said with wide eyes as she glanced back and forth between the two girls who were both crying.

Of course, the bitchiest girl in their year had to barge in on her crying because she was in love with her best friend. This day could not get any more shit.

“I have to go.” Parvati took the open door Pansy had just walked through and left the washroom and Lavender behind. 

Walking past the tables of couples kissing under the mistletoe, she bowed her head so they couldn’t see her tear-stained face. Just as she was about to leave, she realized she still had her winter cloak, hat, and mittens at the table with Neville and Ron. This couldn’t possibly get any more humiliating.

She wiped her face with her sleeve and made her way back to the table, hoping Lavender hadn’t yet returned.

“Oh you’re back from the restroom,” Neville spoke as if she’d been gone for a few minutes and not the eon it had felt like. 

“Yeah, I’m just grabbing my stuff. I gotta go, sorry”

“Oh, are you alright?” Ron asked.

Just hearing him speak made Parvati want to send every single curse she’d ever learned, his way. She wanted him to hurt the way he had hurt her. He deserved to feel the pain he had inflicted on her.

Instead, she chose to be polite and grimace, “Sorry Ron, I just remembered I had plans with my sister,” she barely looked up at the boys as she spoke, “Sorry Neville.”

That was genuine. Neville hadn’t done anything wrong. He had been wrapped up in this mess the same way she had. For a moment she felt bad for leaving him to third wheel alone, but it wasn’t as if he didn’t have working legs. He could figure it out on his own.

She really did have plans with Padma. They had agreed to meet up at the Three Broomsticks. Padma had noticed she’d been feeling down and had wanted to cheer her up. It was sweet and she couldn’t believe she had bailed on her for Lavender’s false promises. 

Now bundled up, she made her way through the snowy streets of Hogsmeade. Her braids that she’d spent all morning on, now felt silly as she walked alone. She pulled out the hair bands and ran her finger through her hair. She paused to take off her hat and pull her hair back into a bun. Now she looked just like she felt inside.

When she felt like this she really didn’t like to be alone. She couldn’t possibly go to Lavender when she was the one who had caused the tears. There _was_ Padma. It was long past when she’d agreed to meet with Padma, but perhaps she was still waiting for her. Maybe this day was still salvageable after all.

The door chimed as she entered The Three Broomsticks. The smell of butterbeer and pine was a welcome change from the perfumy smell that hung in Puddifoot’s year-round. This place actually reminded her of the upcoming Christmas holiday. 

She looked around for her sister’s friendly face in the pub. As soon as she spotted her with Luna Lovegood, one of her fellow Ravenclaws, and a blond boy who’s face she couldn’t see, she walked towards them.

She muttered an apology once she reached the table and then sat down beside Luna in a huff. 

“It’s alright Parvati. We ended up chatting with Seamus here.”

She looked up to see the third person at the booth was in fact her fellow Gryffindor. What an odd combination of people she thought to herself as she greeted him politely.

Seamus and Padma both glanced at one another nervously. She supposed her tear-stained face and messy hair would make people want to walk on eggshells around her, which she kinda appreciated.

“So where were you?” Luna clearly did not have the same reservations that her sister and Seamus were having.

Oh fuck, this would be embarrassing. Why had she come here? She could have just gone back to the castle and worked on her Divination paper in the library.

“Madam Puddifoot’s,” Parvati mumbled, hoping they wouldn’t hear her.

“What!” All three of them squawked obviously having heard her properly.

Parvati put her hands to her face as if she was hiding her shame, “I know it’s embarrassing, ok, you don’t have to remind me.”

“But why were _you_ there?” Padma pestered her as if she couldn’t imagine her in such a place.

“I was with Lavender,” She groaned, feeling every second of their last interaction replay in her mind, “And Ron.” 

All three of them gave her sympathetic looks. Practically everyone in Hogwarts knew how handsy the couple had become. They were hard to avoid and just as hard to be around.

“Talk about being a third wheel,” Seamus said quietly. 

Parvati glared at him. As if she wasn’t embarrassed enough, she didn’t need him to remind her.

“I wasn’t a third wheel. It was a double date.” She felt like correcting Seamus even though it probably made her look worse.

“But you told me you would be free to spend the Hogsmeade weekend with me?” 

Parvati winced at the betrayal in her sister’s voice. She wanted to defend herself properly but now didn’t feel like the right time or place to come out to her twin sister.

“I know! That’s what I thought, but she ambushed me. I was getting ready to meet you and then next thing I know she dragged me into Puddifoot’s,” Parvati tried to explain.

“Who?” Luna asked.

“Lavender!” Parvati didn’t understand how the girl wasn’t following her story. It didn’t feel that complicated but maybe her head was still muddled from the argument, “She said I wouldn’t be as upset about her dating Ron if I could just get myself a boyfriend too.”

“Well that’s dumb,” Seamus remarked sympathetically.

“I know right! Just because _you_ want to spend every second snogging some stupid boy doesn’t mean everyone else wants to as well. Some of us haven’t gone _completely_ insane.” She felt herself rambling, but she was just so exhausted from hiding how she felt about the situation.

“So who was the boy?” Luna asked with her classic naive curiosity.

Parvati covered her face up with her hands. She was becoming more and more embarrassed by the second. Neville was sweet, but she really did not want anyone under the impression she felt anything more than platonic for him.

She mumbled his name behind her hands still covering her mouth.

“I beg your pardon,” Padma said.

“Neville Longbottom,” She admitted, defeated.

Both Padma and Seamus winced. Just as Parvati had imagined. He was a great guy, but a date with him? She may not be interested in boys, but she knew the basics of what girls looked for in one. Neville did not fit that mold.

“He’s sweet,” Luna said sincerely.

“I guess, but I still don’t want to go on date with him.” Parvati shrugged apologetically. 

“I have to say Parvati, I’m glad you said no,” Seamus said, “Neville is one of my best mates, but if I have to deal with one more of my roommates’ relationship drama I may just snap.”

She laughed, feeling the tension from before slip away, but then she noticed Seamus’s eyes wander.

He was glancing over at Dean Thomas who was in a booth in the corner of the pub where he was snogging Ginny Weasley. Seamus’s eyes seemed to linger on the two of them. For a moment she saw something familiar in his eyes. He looked how she imagined she must look around Lavender and Ron. _Oh._

She hadn’t ever been particularly close with Seamus but she knew him well enough to begin connecting pieces in her head. It seemed the two of them had more in common than just their house. Both had had their best friends stolen. Fucking Weasleys, she thought to herself.


End file.
